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Show 106 Ex. Doc. No. 41. whrn they w re un<l<•r the . harge of the ~nissions they w re all comfortaule and happy, hut :::1ne 'the goocl pn ·sts had been rernovt·d, and the mi~sions pla<'c>d in the hands of th' people of the country, they had been ill tn•at<·d. r~hi. change to ok place in ] )3?, ancl many of the mi. sions passt>(l Ill to th hands of men and thcll' conn c ions ·who had (' ffd· t (' d t h <'hang . Ncar 'the hoHsc is the sour('e of the Aqua Calirntr, a mngnif1ccnl hot spring, of the temperature of 137° Fahrcnh •it, di scharp;ing from the fi s s 11 r P o f a g ran it c r o (' k a 1 a r !j e v ~ I u m c o f w at ' r,. w h t.r h , f o r a long distance llown.' charges t.h~ <111' w1th th fumes o( ~ulp.hurclt •cl hydrogen . Above 1t, and dnurung down.thc same va.llry~ 1s a cold s p r i n g o f t h r t (' m p era t u r o f 4 3 ° , a n < l w 1 t h o ul t h e a r d o f a n_y m <'cbaniC'a l instrumrnt, the cold and warm water may be commll1glcd to suit th t mpcratur of tlH· bath r. TlH' Indian. have mr~de pools for bathing. Thry huddle around the basin of the . pring to catrh the g nial warmth of its vapors, anct in cold nights immt>r r themselves in. lite _poO'ls to ke<'p warrn .. A day will come, no doubt, whc•n the Invalid and 1?1 'asurc sce lo~g portion of the white rarr, will assemble hrre to dnnlc an<l bathe 111 these watrrs, ramble over the ltills which surroun<l it on all sides, and sit under the shade of the gr ·at live oaks that grow in the valley. . . . . Our information in refrrrnc to the state of affa:rs m Caltfornta was y<'t very imprrfcd and unsatisfactory . Marshall spol·c of a M r . ' t o k <' s , a 11 I~ 11 g I i s h m a 11 , w h o I i v c d fi fl (' e n m i I c s d i s l a n l , o n t h r o a d to , a n D i e cr o . T h g <' n r a 1 at o n r < 1 <' s p a t l' h c <1 M a r s h a 11 t o b . him, and in thrrc hour. he appeared in our ramp, prcs<' nt tng a Y<'ry s i n g u 1 a r a n d s t r i k i n g a p p <..' a r a tH' c . lL is d r c s s was a b I a c k v l' 1 vet English hunting coat, a pair of bla<.:lc veiYd trowsers, cut off at the knee and op<'n on the outs;dc to the hip, beneath which w ere drawers of spotless white; his leggins w •rc of hla('k buck-skin, <1ncl his heels arm d with spu rs six incl.1cs long. Ahovc the whole bloom cd the broad merry f'ac o {' Mr . .'tokes, the r~n g l ish man. II c was v<.•ry frank, proelaimc1l him elf a neutral, but gav us all the in forma lion he possrssed; which was, that Commo(lore S toe let on was in posse ·sion of 'an Diego, and that all the country between that pla<"c and anta Baruara was in possession of th' " ·ountry p cop I c . " II e con fi r me tl a II that M a r.Jwll h a< l aid , an d stat c d h c was going to nn Diego the next morning. The gcn ·ral gav' him a lett 'r for that place. I made observations r.t night for time and latitu(lc, but the flying clouds, and the tremblincr grou ncl on which we were encamped, made it a delicate operation. Information was rrccivcd on the 2cl, that fifteen miles distant, on the road to the Pu('blo, a band of horses and mules were calchcd, b. lon~ing to General Flores and others. Tired as our p •ople were, nightfall found twenty-fiv of them in the saddl , with fr ·h hor s, under . the co~ man d .of Lieut. Davi(L on, accom paniccl by Car. on, on thcu way m pur u1t of the cache. Davidson was successful, and returned with the horses on the 3d, about meridian; but the animals, • • Ex. Doc. No. 4l. 107 like those we ca plurr<l at the mouth of tlu· Oila, w ·r • mo~tly unh r o k n , an d n o t o f m u r h s e n · i c e . My o b s · rv at ions g i v t' for t h <' 1 at it u d <' or our <'am p of this d at(', whi ch wa on th' meadow to lh<· south o!' the ran<"heria, :3:3o lG' fJ7" . 'vV n ' n1:1. i n c d i n <' a m p o n t It r :3 d l o r ( · :-; t. December '1.- 'l'h' morning was n urky, and W<' did not start till 9 o'clo ·k, about which time it <·ommt>ll l'l'd to rain IH'r\\ ily, and th(' rain la~tl'd all dny. Our r ou te WilS (' hidly through llilrrow vall<·ys overtopped by hi gh hills of' SOll1' fertility, ('OVt'l'l'd with oaks. vVc w • r c now in t lw r r g i on of r a i n s, an d t It <' v t' g t • t a 1 ion , tIt o ugh n o t luxuriant, was Vt'ry mu<'h dl;tn ged, but it wa s t.oo late in the fall to g •t the flowers or fruits to dctermin<' the' p lants. Our camp was pilch<·d, af't<'r marC'hing 1:q 1udcs, in lht• val1<'Y of the Rio I ·abel, n •ar th e ra.ncheria of Mr. ,'toke", form ·rly the mission of Saint Isabel. Mr. . had gone, but 1t left his k<·ys with a rl' an whom th<· Span-iards called "ignor B ·el, with directions to c·ntcrt;lin us. T h<' Signor w a a <1 e 'r t • r from n n 1~~ n g I ish m c r r han t 111 an , and had I i "e <I in t h e n c i g h boring m o unl a in so n1 <' t <' n y P <H s; clu r i n g 1 his l i m l' h c had acquired a little propc·rty, and som<' krlOWIPr!gc• of panish, huL the sailor was vis i b I e in all his act . . B <' fort· n i g It t M r. Be" I had made goou u:c of his keys, and hone in his true colors as sa il or Tiill. W c we r c d r n (' h '< 1 to t h e s 1{ i n , a n cl 1 o o k r cl for w a n 1 w i l h so m e plt'asurc to lh' idea of on<'<' mor <'lltning a ltoiJS<', w1tb a bl;n~ing 1irc and plenty to ('al and drink. Jn tiH• li1st 1\\'0 itt•ms we wn' c n l i r e 1 y . at is fi · d , but sa d I y d is a p poi n t <' d i n fi 11 d 111 g n o fir c, the o 11 I y chimney aboul th ran<'h •ria bl'ing in th(• kitl'hl'll. The dragoon· t ool thC' dinner inlt·nd<·d f'or the• oflic<'rs, and we wcr' obliged to stc1nd, cracking our hc·cls in the role! damp f'lt 1wl, now converted into a hall, for two lt our:, bPfore the 'ignor, or ralh •r ailor Bill, could <'Ook anoth<·r dinner. The a p pI' a ran c c o f d c so I a t i o n w It i 1 • h t h t • r n n r h n i a p r c· s c n t s is Ettie C'alculated to impn•ss us wi th f;t,·ontb lt• notions of' the ngricultural r •·ourccs of this part of alifornia. The land in th<' narrow valley· i. gooc1, hul . urround(•d <'Y<' ry wlt<•re by high uarr<'n mountains, and whnc th' land is good, th<· s<·asons ar' too dry for ID('n to attempt cultiv<1tion without f'ariliti<·s for irrigation . Dece~~be?' 5.-A ·old rainy d<1y, an d th(' n;.tk(•d Jn diaus of the ran c h t'l' 1 a gat lw r<• d a r o u n d o u r Ii r l' . . W <' m a r .. h t' rl f r o m t h c ran - ch ria of San Isabel to that of anta Maria. On tlH• way we md C~tpt. Gill spi , Lieut. Beale, nnd Midsh ipman Dun c.an of ~.he navy, WLth a party of thirty-five men, sent fr om 'an Di(•go wtth a d'sPa l c h to G c n . }( <'a r n y . We a rr i v 'd at t h c r a n (' h (' r i a a l't e r d a tlc, where we h ard that th , enrmy was in fnr<'e nine mrlt•s di sta nt, Hncl not Iind~ng any gras· about th{' ran<'h rin, wp pushC'<l ~nand <'ncamprd Ill a canon two miles b('low. It was long after n1 g ht w!J('u w' halted, and though th •rc may have hl' •n plenty of grass, we coulcl not find it. Bt'. id('s the rain, a lH'avy fo1r ohsntrcd th' J.anuscape, and little could be een of th country during the day's JOUr- |